Bachelor insider Reality Steve broke the news on his blog, even stating Ben had began to film scenes for the new season.

Ben, who was the runner-up on Ashley Hebert‘s season of the Bachelorette, had been longed rumored to be in the running for the Bachelor alongside Ryan Park and Ames Brown. However following the finale episode, fans made it clear they wanted Ben to be the next Bachelor.

According to RS, the 28-year-old winemaker from Sonoma, Calif., was spotted filming some solo scenes in San Francisco on Aug. 22.

He will reportedly start filming his season (with his contestants) in mid-September with ABC likely to start airing it next January.

And speaking of Ashley, she is still going strong with her fiance J.P. Rosenbaumweeks after her season ended! That has to be equivalent to 3 years in Bachelor franchise years. In fact, Ashley was photographed moving into JP’s NYC apartment just days ago.

“@JP_Rosenbaum is going to kill me when he sees how much clothing I have!! #newyorkaptsneedmoreclosetspace.” tweeted Ashley. JP replied, “@ashhebert all I can say is thank god we r getting a bigger place!” Ashley also tweeted the photo below of the two out and about days ago. Perhaps these two might actually make it. Perhaps.

TELL US – HAPPY BEN IS THE NEW BACHELOR? DO YOU THINK ASHLEY AND JP WILL MAKE IT?

First Ben went out on a date with Jennifer Love Hewitt just days after the Bachelorette finale (she revealed her crush on him via twitter) and now a new report is stating Ben has become the front runner to be the nextBachelor! The others being considered for the gig include Ames Brown and Ryan Park.

“Everyone wants [Ben] to find the woman of his dreams,” an insider told UsWeekly. Ashley Hebert, 27, was reportedly the first woman Ben really opened up to since the death of his father in 2006. “He loved Ashley,” says a source.

Even show host Chris Harrison agrees than Ben deserves a chance to find Mrs. Right. “Our fans would love to see him as the Bachelor,” he said. “He’d be great.”

Even better for Ben, he has the fans of the show on his side! In a poll conducted by UsWeekly, 53 percent of voters wanted Ben to be the next Bachelor, while 27 percent voted for Ames and 20 percent for Ryan.

And in other Bachelor news we hope never comes to light, former/most hated Bachelor ever Jake Pavelkarevealed yesterday that he would be open to doing the Bachelor once again! Wowzers.

Jake, who’s first stint on the show ended in a pretty disastrous break up, revealed he wouldn’t mind becoming the Bachelor again though “but not right away.” The Famewhore Pilot, who is currently starring on two reality shows, adds that “the show works,” and even though his relationship with Vienna Girardi, 25, “didn’t work out,” that didn’t mean he didn’t find love.

TELL US – DO YOU WANT BEN TO BE THE NEXT BACHELOR? DO YOU WANT TO SEE JAKE AS THE BACHELOR AGAIN?

First is a report by Star magazine which claims that Ashley slept with runner-up Ben Flajnik the night before JP’s proposal and that JP is now outraged about it.

“There have been major issues. JP can’t seem to get past Ashley’s night with Ben,” a source close to the show tellsStar magazine. “She definitely slept with him, and JP is spitting mad.”

Another source states JP and Ashley are having a hard time moving forward because Ben has been telling others about his night with Ashley. “Ben has some growing up to do,” Ashley’s pal says. “I think by talking about having sex with Ashley he is trying to appease his male ego. Ben really liked Ashley; he was completely crushed when she didn’t pick him.”

Even more shocking, former Bachelorettewinner Jesse Csincsak reveals that it’s quite common for the Bachelorette to have sex her final two contenders. “Everyone always sleeps with the finale two, and I’ve heard this season was no different,” Jesse notes. “The problem of hooking up with both finalists has been the downfall of many of the show’s engagements.” Wowzers.

Meanwhile, another report by Life & Style magazine states Ashley and JP have already experienced a break-up. The mag reports JP, who was having a hard time seeing Ashley with other guys on the show, actually ended things about a month ago.

“J.P. ended it,” a friend tells Life & Style. “It just wasn’t working out, and when JP is upset about something, he’ll just say, ‘Okay, it’s over.’” J.P. however coudn’t stay away from his fiance as “a few days later, they got back together,” says the friend.

“Since they patched things up and their engagement is out in the open now, they’ve got new hope and are looking forward to living together,” assures the source.

TELL US – DO YOU BELIEVE ASHLEY SLEPT WITH BEN? DO ASHLEY AND JP STAND A CHANCE?

Following this week’s finale of the Bachelorette, many are now wondering what ever happened to that other Bachelorette, you know, Ali Fedotowsky from last season.

Well according to PEOPLE magazine, Ali has postponed her wedding to fiance Roberto Martinez. The reason? It all has to do with an injury.

“We had a date set, and that date has now passed,” Ali, 26, told PEOPLE on Tuesday. “The decision to postpone [the wedding] was very difficult. I definitely shed some tears.”

Ali, who fractured her femur back in June, underwent surgery in July and is still recovering. “I want to walk down the aisle,” she said, “I don’t want to limp down the aisle.”

Ali however assures us all is well between her and Roberto. In fact the couple spent their would be wedding day together. “It was one of the best days we’ve had, just me and him,” said Ali, adding that she feels no need to rush the nuptials.

“In my mind, Roberto is my husband,” she said. “We live together; we do everything together; we plan for the future together; we fight just like a good old married couple. The only thing that’s not saying “I’m married” is another ring on my finger and a piece of paper.”

Ali is however staying mum on whether or not a new wedding day has been set.

The couple appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! during which they dished on their future together as well as their wedding plans.

Though we just saw their engagement play out on Monday night, the proposal actually took place back in May. The two have had to see each other in secret in other to keep the show’s ending under wraps. Ashley, 27, and J.P., 34, revealed they had been having chaperoned dates in secret every two weeks since filming ended.

In fact J.P. reveals he became dependent on technology to keep in touch with his fiance. “We live on Skype,” he told Kimmel. “I don’t watch any TV any more. It’s work, gym, three hours of Skype, sleep.”

Ashley once again talked about her plans to move in with J.P., who is a construction manager in New York, after she finishes dental school in September.

But perhaps the biggest surprise is that the couple is already planning their wedding! “We really want to focus on our engagement, but I’m thinking fall of next year!” gushed Ashley. And when it comes to Ashley’s sister, Chrystie, who made it clear she wasn’t a fan of JP’s on the finale, J.P. reveals Chrystie feels very differently today. “She’s been nothing but sweet and supportive since we got back,” J.P. told Kimmel. “It’s as is if I didn’t even know who that person was back in Fiji.”

Meanwhile, below is a photo of Ashley’s Neil Lane engagement ring! The 3.5-carat, central cushion-cut sparkler accented with 162 small, hand-set diamonds around a platinum band is reportedly valued at around $60,000.

TELL US – SHOULD ASHLEY AND JP BE THINKING ABOUT A WEDDING NOW? OR SHOULD THEY SLOW THINGS DOWN?

While Ashley revealed on the After The Rose special last night that things are going very well between the two of them and that she is planning to move to New York City to live with J.P., the couple will have some major hurdles to overcome.

Like most past Bachelor couples, the tabloids have been having a field day with J.P. According to reports, he is a jealous controlling man with a wondering eye and might already be cheating on Ashley.

An In Touch Weekly report from weeks ago stated J.P. has not been acting like an engaged man while out and about in NYC. A source told the mag that on June 24, he met a male and female friend at a local bar and “he held the girl’s hand and looked into her eyes.” The witness continued, “They looked really close. Before she got up to leave, she gave [AF] a huge hug; it was really intimate.”

And during another outing, a different source reveals J.P. “was so aggressive and drunk” with the women there that he almost got kicked out of the venue.

Perhaps the most damning revelation is a woman who claims J.P. flat out asked her out recently. “If Ashley picked him, he’s not being faithful – he’s asked me out a bunch of times,” said the source. Another source insists J.P. is not who he portrayed himself to be on the show. “He seems genuine when he’s talking to Ashley, but he’s actually kind of a jerk.”

Another report also came out last week claiming J.P. was still not over his ex. As for Ashley, it appears she is choosing to stand by her fiance for the time being. The two appeared together on GMA this morning to gush about their relationship and Ashley even tweeted the photo below of both of them at the ABC studios.

Only time will tell if these two will end up making it down the aisle but surely these types of tabloid reports can’t be helping their relationship.

Meanwhile don’t feel too badly for Ben Flajnik following his heartbreak as he has already moved on from Ashley. Ben is reportedly dating Bachelor alum Britt Billmaier, who competed with Ashley on Brad Womack’s second season of The Bachelor. “They’re having fun together. He’s definitely not wallowing over the break-up with Ashley,” says a source. A picture of Britt is below!

One of those lucky men is J.P. Rosenbaum who is now the target of some not so flattering tabloid reports. According to a new cover story by In Touch Weekly, J.P. is a jealous and controlling person who is still not over his ex.

The mag claims that J.P., who seems like a sweet and happy guy on the show, has been living a double life for the sake of the cameras. “J.P. was severely depressed over the breakup when he tried out for the show,” reveals a Bachelorette insider. In fact, “he only tried out for The Bachelorette at the insistence of a friend who wanted to snap him out of his heartbreak.”

That ex is Stephanie Kerman, a 27-year-old publicist in NYC, who reportedly broke J.P.’s heart back in 2008, and has since moved on with another serious boyfriend. A source however insists J.P. just can’t seem to totally move forward. “After she broke up with him, he would send her flowers at work, and I remember him showing up at the office more than once,” a friend of Stephanie’s explains.

The friend adds that jealousy and other factors led to their breakup. “I think he is a very jealous person,” says the friend. “Stephanie met someone she was attracted to, and that was the beginning of the end of their relationship… J.P. was a nice guy, but he seemed a little controlling.”

And this might be a problem for Ashley if J.P. is the guy she is currently engaged to. In Touch adds that even though J.P. has told Ashley he loves her and might be receiving the final rose on the finale, he may still be too damaged by “the one that got away” to live happily ever after with Ashley.

You can read more about this story in the latest issue of In Touch Weekly.

Ashley, who has been heavily criticized for being too insecure as well as for her decision to keep douchebag Bentley Williams on the show much longer than she should have, made the surprising revelation in a recent interview.

“I don’t know that I have made a good Bachelorette,” Ashley confesses to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “In a way, I think I’m too honest. If I’m not into somebody, I have a hard time faking it and I think in this environment, you have to be able to do that sometimes.” Yeah that’s the reason.

As for the whole Bentley debacle, Ashley admits she was a bit jaded after having her heart broken. “Now I feel like I’m jaded,” she admits. “I think I’ve learned a lot about people, but it’s kind of a sad thing.”

Ashley also goes on to deny that she is insecure! Err is she watching the same show we’re watching? “Despite what people believe, I’m actually pretty secure in myself,” she explains. “There’s a lot of good things happening too. You don’t see much of that. You only see what sucks people in.”

Meanwhile, with Ashley’s sucky season of the Bachelorette winding down, there is now a ton of speculation on who will be the next Bachelor! The front-runner? None other than Ryan Park who will be making a “shocking” return to the show tonight to try to win back Ashley.

Bachelor insider Reality Steve however tells Life & Style magazine that Ryan’s return is really to position himself to become the next Bachelor a la Jake Pavelka.

“Ryan goes back to Fiji to try to win Ashley back [during the July 25 episode],” said RS. “Producers probably told him that by going back, he would have a good chance to be the next Bachelor.”

Three guys remain on the show with a new episode airing tonight on ABC at 8/7c. Ashley will narrow down the contestants to the final two!

TELL US – DO YOU AGREE WITH ASHLEY? DID SHE MAKE A BAD BACHELORETTE? DO YOU WANT TO SEE RYAN AS THE NEXT BACHELOR?